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Archive for category Workers

April 4 ‘We Are One’ Labor Solidarity Actions Across U.S.

May 4

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By Deb Malatesta, ANSWER

Unity and fightback spirit were on display April 4, 2011, on the anniversary of M.L. King’s assassination. The Communication Workers of America (CWA) called for a National Day of Action in support of unions and working people across the US. The action took place on April 4, the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tenn., where he was organizing in support of striking sanitation workers.

From Madison, Wis., to Washington, D.C., to Illinois, more than 600 events were planned for this day of action with support from AFSCME, SEIU and other unions as well as local community and social justice organizations in a show of force in opposition to the attacks on working people.

In New Haven, nearly 150 people gathered on the Green and rallied to demand “Money for Jobs, Not for War.” They faced a gigantic rat figure labeled “Governor Rat Walker” in reference to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is seeking to make public employees pay more for their health care and pension benefits. The demonstrators marched to nearby Bank of America to demand an end to corporate greed and for money to be used for education, healthcare and jobs. Bill Hendersen, president of the CWA Local 1298, told the crowd, “The real villain is the banks. They’ve put the economy on the brink of collapse.” The protesters targeted Bank of America because it paid nothing in corporate taxes to the state last year.

Speaking of the legacy of Martin Luther King, who was killed while organizing in support of workers seeking the right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life, Hendersen told the crowd, “The issues haven’t changed: injustice in the workplace, corporate greed has gotten even worse.”

The demonstration was organized by CWA, Teamsters, American Federation of Teachers and attended by students, workers and other progressive allies in solidarity with Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and dozens of other states where collective bargaining is under attack. Demonstrators also came to speak out about local issues.

Students from SCSU came out in response to proposed budget cuts to the Connecticut State University system that would combine community colleges with state universities. Lytasha Blackwell, a student in SCSU’s Women’s Studies program, said, “There will be tuition hikes for people who can’t afford to go to a four year school.”

The rally closed with demonstrators chanting “Corporate Greed” at Bank of America and “The people united, will never be defeated.”

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Middle School Students Celebrate Labor History With Performance On May Day

May 4

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By Christine Saari, GNH Labor History Association

On May 1 at 3 p.m., 6th and 8th grade students from Katherine Brennan and Worthington Hooker Schools of New Haven will convene at the May Day Festival on the New Haven Green to celebrate labor history with a reading and musical performance.  The performance marks the culmination of the “Family Work History Project,” a collaboration between the Greater New Haven Labor History Association and New Haven Public Schools.

Students will read excerpts from essays they have written about mentors in the labor force, based on material they have gathered through oral history interviews about their mentors’ work experiences.  Following the reading, music educator and song-writer Mike Kachuba will lead the students in song with “They Did Their Part,” an original composition he has written based on the students’ collective stories.

Kachuba is known for his curriculum-based work with children across Connecticut.  When writing the song, he sought to incorporate common themes from the students’ essays, including immigration, struggle, perseverance and lessons learned from those who came before us. For more information about Mike Kachuba, visit http://web.mac.com/mikekachuba.

GNHLHA is in the process of raising funds to repeat and expand the scope of the project for the 2011-2012 school year. Contact us at (203) 777-2756,end_of_the_skype_highlighting ext. 2 or info@laborhistory.org if you would like to contribute. Additional information about GNHLHA programs can be found at www.laborhistory.org.

Celebrate International Workers’ Day On New Haven Green

May 4

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By Paula Panzarella, May Day Celebration Committee

2011 marks the 25th year of celebrating May Day/ International Workers’ Day on the New Haven Green, and the 125th anniversary of the nationwide strike for the 8-hour day and the events at Haymarket Square in Chicago (1886).

The celebration on Sunday, May 1, begins at 11 a.m. in front of New Haven City Hall with hundreds of workers organized by Unidad Latina en Acción. Union and community activists will march to defend unions, for respect for immigrants and for workers’ rights and all peoples’ rights. The march ends at the New Haven Green.

Our featured speaker is John Olsen, President of the CT State AFL-CIO, followed by the Family Work History Project with 6th and 8th graders and musician Mike Kachuba. Performers, poets and musicians include Rick Reyes and Cosmic Jibaros, The Harris Brothers’ Balkan Band, Maxwell Clark, The Coalition, Josephine Dixon Banks, Joseph FireCrow, Shadow, Moonshine Kellie, Steve Bellwood and Shula Weinstein, Puerto Rican performer Fernandito Ferrer, Bread Is Rising Poetry Collective – NY, Not Here, “Carrot Man” Eric Triffin, magician Amazing Andy, Elaine Peters, and the Maypole Dance led by Out On A Whim featuring Bill Fischer and Mickey Koth. There will also be open mic “Speak Out Time.”

Among our 45 endorsers are: Greater New Haven Central Labor Council, Unidad Latina en Acción, SCSU Women’s Studies Program, UNITE HERE Local 217, Greater New Haven Labor History Association, CT Folk, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, Veterans for Peace, New Haven/León Sister City Project, CT Center for a New Economy, Sisters With a New Attitude (SWANA) and Yale School of Nursing.

Join us on May 1, a day of celebration and solidarity with the struggle of working people around the world. Enjoy the music, dance, arts and crafts, open mic, political speakers, poetry, juggling, activities for children, free vegetarian food and Maypole dance.

In case of rain, performances, speeches, food & information tables and displays will take place on the first floor of New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street.

For more information, call (203) 562-2798, (203)

887-4778 or visit www.maydaynewhaven.org.  For the

latest details about the march, call (203) 606-3484 or

visit www.ulanewhaven.blogspot.com.

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We Are One — Workers’ Rights Are Human Rights, May 1

May 4

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By Joelle Fishman, People’s World

Building on the grass roots “We are One” organizing of labor and community, public and private sector workers, employed and unemployed in solidarity with each other, this years’ People’s World May Day celebration will honor the public workers in Connecticut, their unions
and the services they provide.

The theme, “Workers Rights are Human Rights” highlights the coming together in our state and nation against attacks on public sector workers and all workers in the name of budget deficits. No layoffs of workers or cuts in services would be needed if the super rich were taxed their fair share. Monies used to fund the wars could close all state budget gaps in the country.

Newsmaker awards will be presented on Sunday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. at 37 Howe Street, New Haven.to the coalition of state worker unions, SEBAC, for leadership on behalf of the needs of Connecticut’s working people; and to Communications Workers CWA Local 1298 for standing up to AT&T in last year’s negotiations, and building worker solidarity.

A solidarity recognition will be presented to 1199 health care workers at Spectrum, now on strike for one year.

A panel discussion will address the attempt to turn back all gains, and project how the labor movement and working people can move forward. Videos of the huge rallies in Egypt and Wisconsin for workers rights and in New Haven on March 30 will be shown.

Puerto Rican singer Fernando Ferrer, rap group The UNION, and poet Sabir Abdussabur will perform. A home made buffet will be served. Suggested donation is $5 or what you can afford.

The event caps off a full day of May 1 activities, including an immigrant rights march and May Day program on the Green in New Haven, and a workers’ rights rally by the Building Trades in Hartford.

Contributions will be accepted for the 2011 fund drive of the People’s World in Connecticut. To receive headlines by e-mail sign up at www.peoplesworld.org. For event information call 203-624-8664.

Ralph Nader To Speak In New Haven Saturday, May 14

Apr 1

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By Scott Harris, Between the Lines

Former presidential candidate and citizen activist RALPH NADER will be the keynote speaker at Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine’s 20th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, May 14th in New Haven. Nader will address the topic of corporate dominance of the U.S. political system and the fight now underway in Wisconsin and around the country to restore democracy. A booksigning and reception with Ralph Nader will follow the event.

Details on event location, times and ticket prices will be available soon on the group’s website: www.btlonline.org or www.squeakywheel.net.  For advanced ticket sales, call 203 268-8446 or email us at betweenthelines@snet.net.

Check the May 2011 PAR newsletter for event info.

Find the following article on Between the Lines at

http://btlonline.org/2011/seg/110401cf-btl-jones.html

Study: Wisconsin’s GOP Anti-Union Legislation will Disproportionately Harm State’s Women

Interview with Glenda Jones, assistant professor and director of Women and Gender Studies Program, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Legislation weakening public employee union collective bargaining rights rammed through the GOP- controlled Wisconsin legislature by Republican Gov. Scott Walker was put on hold by a county judge in Madison, who ruled that its passage may have violated the state’s open meetings law, one of the strongest in the country. If the ruling is upheld, the legislature will have to vote on the bill again. Because one Republican legislator voted against the bill the first time, opponents hoped more Republicans will defect to defeat the measure, or that it may be modified in order to gain passage.

Meanwhile, a group of professors from the University of Wisconsin System Women’s Studies Consortium — representing women’s studies programs on the state’s campuses — published an open letter highlighting their concern that women will suffer disproportionately if the law goes into effect. While women make up just over half of the state’s 175,000 public sector employees, they are concentrated in the lowest paying jobs. And they stand to lose the most if only wages are covered under collective bargaining — and other issues such as family leave, health insurance and sick days are no longer negotiable.

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Labor History In The Schools

Mar 1

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– Christine Saari, Greater New Haven Labor History Association

In December 2010, the Greater New Haven Labor History Association (GNHLHA) began gathering support for a legislative initiative, called Labor History in the Schools, with endorsement by the Connecticut AFL-CIO Executive Board. On February 1, the GNHLHA officially began work on a new pilot program called “Family Work History Project” in collaboration with two New Haven public schools teaching labor history as part of  this initiative.

The Family Work History Project is a school-based residency in which students will learn to conduct oral history interviews with a mentor in the labor force and develop these interviews into essays. The collaboration continues with the development of a commissioned musical composition inspired by the student stories, as well as the development of a spoken-word piece to be read publicly by students, based on their collective stories. The student piece and the musical composition will be performed on May 1, 2011, as part of the May Day Festival on the New Haven Green.

The GNHLHA will collaborate with teachers of 8th grade students from the Katherine Brennan School and 6th and 8th grade students from Worthington Hooker School, both in New Haven, CT. Sheryl Hershonik, Principal at Worthington Hooker, jumped at the chance to collaborate on the project: “We’re so glad to have the Greater New Haven Labor History Association work with our students. New Haven has a rich history of labor organizing from factory workers and dress shop seamstresses to teachers and other professionals. It is important for students to understand that working together for a common goal demands commitment and perseverance which can then lead to an improvement in the lives of individuals and families.”  Adds Principal Karen Lott of Brennan School, the collaboration will “connect students’ learning to the larger community in which they live.”

The study of labor history in the schools not only ties in with already-mandated educational standards, it is an important component in preparing students for the work force. The CT AFL-CIO has endorsed the Labor History in the Schools legislative initiative and has aided in beginning to gather popular support. 

Local professional musician Mike Kachuba, known for his curriculum-based work with children across Connecticut, will develop a song based on the student stories. He will perform the song to accompany the student readings on May 1, 2011, as part of the May Day (International Workers’ Day) Celebration on the New Haven Green.

For more information about Mike Kachuba’s work with children, visit http://web.mac.com/mikekachuba.

For more information about GNHLHA programs, visit www.laborhistory.org.

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PAR Planning Committee Recommends Website On Class Warfare In Wisconsin

Mar 1

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www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2011/02/17/class-warfare-in-wisconsin-10-things-you-should-know/

Here are three of the ten points in this on-line article:

1. The deficit is a made-up crisis.
Like most states, Wisconsin is struggling in the recession, but the state government isn’t actually broke. The state legislature’s fiscal bureau estimated the state would end the year with a $121 million balance. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker claims there is a $137 million deficit – but it is not because of an increase in worker wages or benefits. According to the Capital Times, it is because “Walker and his allies pushed through $140 million in new spending for corporate and special-interest groups in January.” Nice. A man-made “crisis” as an excuse to push neoliberal cutbacks: Shock Doctrine, anyone?

2. Even if there was a deficit, blame Wall Street – not the workers.
The economy isn’t crumbling because state workers in Madison have decent pensions. It’s because Wall Street bankers stole our money, Bush and now Obama have us in two trillion-dollar wars, and states like Wisconsin keep spending more on prisons than schools. What do the rich pay? According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, corporate tax income has fallen by half since 1981 and over two-thirds of Wisconsin corporations pay zero taxes.

3. The Green Bay Packers are with the people.

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Last Call For Winchester Stories

Jan 29

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By Joan,Cavanagh, Archivist/Director, GNH Labor History Association

The Greater New Haven Labor History Association is producing its exhibit entitled “Our Community at Winchester: An Elm City Story” for a planned opening in May. It will incorporate selections from many of the interviews that have been conducted with retired Winchester workers and their family members over the past year.

Our hope is to provide a broad picture of the impact of the Olin/ Winchester Repeating Arms Company on its workers, our community and greater New Haven until it closed in 2006—and perhaps beyond. We are particularly seeking reflections about the nature of the work and what was produced; and any information or direct experience that individuals may have about nuclear subcontracting work that was done there in the 1970s.

If you or someone you know worked at the plant and would like to share thoughts and experiences, please contact us at info@laborhistory.org or leave a message at the office at (203) 777-2756, ext. 2. You can also write to: GNH Labor History Association, 267 Chapel Street, New Haven CT 06513.

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Defend Workers’ Rights and Oppose Police Intimidation, 4:30 p.m., Sat. Jan. 22

Jan 20

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Stand up to defend workers’ rights and oppose police intimidation at a rally and news conference at 4:30 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 22 at the corner of State Street and Bradley Street in New Haven.

The New Haven Workers Association / Unidad Latina en Acción needs your support at a picket against Cafe Goodfellas, which owes workers over $23,000 in unpaid wages.

Police intimidation and threats from the restaurant owner have made the picketers feel extremely unsafe. If you help us by rallying with the Worker’s Association, we can send a message that we won’t be intimidated and we will stand by every worker’s right to peacefully protest.

At the last picket, with only 6 members of NHWA holding a perfectly legal picket on a public sidewalk, the police wrote down the names and addresses of picketers and said that restaurant owners could use the police report to create a “blacklist” and discourage all New Haven restaurants from employing the picketers.

Stand with us against intimidation!

For more information contact: New Haven Workers Association: English: 203-803-9066; Spanish: 203-479-2959. nhworkersassoc@gmail.com.

Forum: Jobs First Employment Services

Dec 29

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— Ellen Billard, CABHN Coordinator

The Connecticut Alliance for Basic Human Needs (CABHN) and the Welfare Working Group invite you to join us for a discussion with program administrators, program participants, advocates, and legislators on effective strategies for improving the Jobs First Employment Services program.

We will be holding a forum, “Increasing Opportunity: Improving the Jobs First Employment Services Program,” on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. in the 2nd floor Atrium of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Forum will be held in room 2C.

Featured speakers include: 

  • Rep. Chris Donovan, Speaker of the House
  • LaDonna Pavetti, Director of the Welfare Reform and Income Support Division, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.
  • Wayne Valaitis, Vice President of Operations, FSW, Inc., Bridgeport
  • Amos Smith, President and CEO, Community Action Agency of New Haven
  • Rev. Bonita Grubbs, Executive Director, Christian Community Action, New Haven
  • Erica Raycob, Waterbury Regional Coordinator, Employing People for Success program
  • Participants in the Jobs First Employment Services Program
  • Rep. Toni Walker, (D) New Haven

RSVP is appreciated. RSVP to esmall@larcc.org. We hope to see you on Jan. 11! (1-11-11)

Venue is wheelchair accessible.

Ellen Small Billard, MSW, CABHN Coordinator

Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut

44 Capitol Ave., Suite 301, Hartford, CT 06106-1764

(860) 278-5688 ext. 208, esmall@larcc.org.

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We Are The Union: Celebrating Labor History At Yale With Yale’s Unions And Greater N.H. Labor History Association

Oct 24

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By Joan Cavanagh, Archivist/Director GNHLHA

Commemorate the anniversary of the Yale workers’ first union effort; learn about the long history of labor struggles and victories at New Haven’s largest employer; and engage in a lively discussion about their impact on our community.

On Nov. 10, the Greater New Haven Labor History Association and HERE Locals 34, 35 and GESO host “We are the Union: Celebrating Labor History at Yale” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Linsley Chittenden Hall, 63 High Street, Room 211. Professor Jennifer Klein will present opening remarks, followed by representatives of Locals 34, 35, GESO and the Labor History Association board.

The event takes place on the 69th anniversary of the first union strike at Yale. In her 1995 doctoral dissertation, Labor and the Left: the Limits of Acceptable Dissent at Yale University, 1920s to 1950s, Debbie Elkin gave the history of that strike.

On Oct. 17, 1941, Yale’s service workers, guards, maintenance and powerhouse employees had voted to join Local 142 of the United Construction Workers, C.I.O.  Although the Yale administration had agreed to recognize the union if it won the election, this did not automatically guarantee a contract. Elkin explains: “Negotiations broke down, in part over the issue of whether or not there would be a union shop, and in part [because] it seemed…that the administration still was not taking workers’ goals seriously.” Union organizer John Clark told Yale that Local 142  would not be demanding a union shop had its members not been the target of “intimidation and threats” both before and after the election.

Four hundred workers struck on Nov. 1 for one day. Elkin records that “the agreement to end the strike contained nothing about the union shop, but answered the union’s concern about threats by providing that any cases of intimidation, as well as other non-wage grievances that were not resolved through negotiations between the union and the administration, would be arbitrated by the Connecticut State Board of Mediation and Arbitration.” 

This was a small but significant victory in a struggle that spanned the 20th century and has now entered the 21st.

For more information about the Nov. 10 event, contact info@laborhistory.org; (203) 777-2756 Ext. 2; or visit www.laborhistory.org.

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New Haven/Leon Sister City Project

Oct 3

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By Chris Schweitzer, NHLSCP

This October (until the 25th)  the New Haven/Leon Sister City Project will again be bringing our Nicaraguan staff to Connecticut. They will be available for presentations and discussions on a range of topics related to our work,  including:

  • Rural community life and development issues, with a focus on the community of Goyena outside Leon.
  • The struggle between sugar cane workers and Nicaragua Sugar Estates, Ltd., over the epidemic of chronic renal insufficiency and the resulting death of 1500 workers (see http://www.newhavenleon.org/us_solidarity). 
  • Impact of climate change on rural communities  (Goyena was displaced by Hurricane Mitch in 1998) and other environmental issues impacting the rural communities.
  • Education in Nicaragua

Our presentations tend to tie together the realities faced by Nicaraguans and broader systemic political and economic forces. We also like to invite discussion and encourage participants to get further involved in efforts for social justice.  But we’re open to structuring the presentations to meet the needs of a group, and we can also present on other topics related to Latin America not mentioned above.

Also, if you’re interested in our One World House exhibit  – which invites students to learn about climate change and its impact on rural communities – please see www.newhavenleon.org/earthathon.

If you are interested in any of the above, please contact Chris at (203) 562-1607 (mornings are best) or nh@newhavenleon.org. To get a better sense of our work see www.newhavenleon.org.

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